A new Gallup survey indicates people feel safer in the Twin Cities than any other major metro area in the country.

Of the Minneapolis-St. Paul residents, 80 percent said they feel safe walking around at night. That is two percentage points higher than Denver and Raleigh, N.C., which each clocked in at 78 percent.

The results are part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which is derived from interviews with 500 people every day in 2012. The average level of perceived safety in major cities was 72 percent.

"Minneapolis-St. Paul… residents have the highest sense of personal security among Americans living in the nation's top metro areas, at least in terms of feeling safe walking alone at night in their local area," Gallup said.

Memphis and New Orleans metro areas had the lowest perceived safety scores. Violent crime in just Minneapolis grew about 7.6 percent in 2012 over 2011 figures. The number of violent crimes in the city in 2011 was the lowest in nearly 30 years. â–¡ Eric Roper